Following a week off with final exams taking place in Bloomington, the Indiana Hoosiers will rev it up again as they head up to BankersLife Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the fifth edition of the Crossroads Classic as the Hoosiers will take on in-state rival, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

This game is sure to be up and down as scoring is the forte of both of these teams, as they are both in the top four of KenPom's Adjusted Offensive Efficiency statistic and can sure fill it up. The defense, however, will be the key in this one, as it could come down to who has the ball last or who can come up with a big stop on defense.

Is this a must win for the Hoosiers?

It may not be a "must win" game per se, but it has to be right next to that. The Tom Crean haters are out in full force, and following their trip to Maui where they laid an egg along with getting blown out at Duke, this Indiana team does not have a marquee win on their schedule in the non-conference. A win against Notre Dame would change that and give the Hoosiers some much needed momentum with Big Ten play starting in less than two weeks.

Not just talking about this season, but just in general, beating your in-state rival is big for bragging rights in the state along with on the recruiting trail. Indiana lost their last game against Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic back in 2013, so the Hoosiers will try to get back in the win column against the Fighting Irish.

The Fighting Irish

Notre Dame comes into this game with a record of 7-2 with losses coming against Monmouth and Alabama. This is a team that likes to score the ball as they score nearly 80 points per game.

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Their leading scorer is Demetrius Jackson who averages 17.8 points per game, along with leading the team in assists and field goal percentage. He is a big time shooter and scorer, but one man who will give the Hoosiers some problems, is 6'10" forward Zach Auguste.

Auguste will be Indiana freshman big man Thomas Bryant’s toughest test yet, as he averages a double-double with 14.4 points per game to go along with 10.4 rebounds. In addition, Auguste is in KenPom’s top ten players of the year list. If Auguste has a big day, it could spell trouble for the Hoosiers.

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Coach Mike Brey likes to go about seven deep on his bench, but another scoring threat in the starting lineup is Fort Wayne native V.J. Beachem, who is a scoring wing who is shooting 43.3 percent from the outside. Bonzie Colson is another lanky forward who is good on the glass and is the team’s best shot blocker.

Matchups to Watch

Normally it’d just be one matchup to watch, but there are two that really are intriguing. The first one is with the two point guards. Yogi Ferrell and Demetrius Jackson are two of the nation’s premier point guards and both are the leaders of their respective team’s. Both can shoot the three ball very well and if you like good guard play, be looking out for these two.

Indy Star

Another intriguing matchup comes with Zach Auguste and Thomas Bryant on the post for Indiana. Bryant is just a freshman while Auguste, a senior, has been around the block. Bryant has shown spurts of becoming a star, but the consistency just isn’t there as of yet. It will be interesting to see how he responds against an experienced big like Auguste.

The Deciding Factor

With both of these teams being so proficient on offense, there seems to be no doubt that this will not be a high scoring game and the defense will be looked upon as a key part of this game.

KenPom has Notre Dame favored to win by just one, Vegas is a pick’em and Sagarin has IU narrowly escaping with a win. Both teams have played four games away from their home courts with Notre Dame at 2-2 while the Hoosiers are 1-3.

Indy Star

The key matchups will be fun to watch, but it could also come down to the other stars for the Hoosiers if they want to come away with a win. Max Bielfeldt, James Blackmon Jr., Robert Johnson, and Troy Williams will all have their work cut out for them if they want to overcome the Fighting Irish Saturday in Indy.

Both teams are hungry for a win and both haven’t played in a week. If you like offense and like fun basketball, it is recommended that you are tuned into this one.

Prediction:

Indiana 86, Notre Dame 82

Game Info:

The game starts at 2:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2 (Dave Flemming and Dan Dakich) in BankersLife Fieldhouse.